Nick Ward (footballer)

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Personal information
Nick Ward
Date of birth	March 24, 1985
Place of birth	Perth, Australia
Height	1.83cm
Position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Q.P.R.
Number	9
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
2003-06 2006-	Perth Glory QPR	23 (5) 15 (1)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29/11/06.

Nick Ward (born March 24, 1985 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player. He currently plays as an attacking midfielder for English side Queens Park Rangers.

His efforts in the inaugural A-League season of 2005-06 resulted in him becoming the first player to win the A-League's Rising Star Award with Perth Glory, along with also winning the Perth Supporter's Player of the Year, and also the Smokefree WA Coach's Award.^[1]

After his season had concluded with Perth, Ward was selected by Australia in an extended squad for its opening Asian Cup qualifier with Bahrain.^[2] Ward was named on the bench, but did not get used.

Following the end of the first A-League season, Nick Ward had trials with Leicester City however, much to the annoyance of Football Federation Australia^[3], he joined QPR in the English Championship prior to the 2006-07 season. According to Tribal Football.com, ^[4], in December 2006 Socceroos manager Graeme Arnold believed that Ward (lacking game time under the management of QPR at the time) should be playing either in the English Premier League or in Europe, where there was better ball delivery and midfield play than in the English Championship. Those comments could be interpreted as a preliminary reason not to select Ward in forthcoming Socceroos friendlies.